Jigging apparatus



United States. Patent JIGGING APPARATUS Harold C. Medley, Blackliek, Ohio, 'assignorto The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, incorporation of Ohio Application -May 7, 1953, Serial No. 353,631

4 Claims. (Cl; 209-455) the novel features and combinations being set forth in the appended claims. v

In the accompanyingv drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in section'thr'ough a material separating jig including the invention; I

Fig. 2 is a View in section, with parts broken away, the section being taken substantially onl'ine 2-21 of Fig. l and showing in plan the. perforated plate or screen, of the jig above which material being separated is str'atified'or classified; and

Fig. 3 is a view in section on a larger scale of a portion of the jig seen in Figs. 1 and- 2, thev view'being taken on line 33 of Fig. 2 and showing one form of"construction of the screen means of the jig and means by which his sealed with an adjacent upright wall of the jig.

The present invention may .be em loyed. inany jigging apparatus wherein material's having'different specific g'r'avities are separated by stratificatio'n in upwardly and downwardly pulsating jigging fluid, and it is herein shown and described in connection with a diaphragm jig adapted to separate sand and gravel. With. the exception of ceitain features hereinafter described, the jig shown is generally of standard construction.

The single cell jig shown is essentially a container adapted to contain jigging'fluid, such as water, that is divided into an upper material separating, classifying .or stratifying compartment 10, a hutch compartment 11 below compartment 16), and an elevator compartment 12 at one side of the stratifying compartment '10 and'hutch compartment 11. The upright side walls of the. container are formed by a. pair of spaced walls 13, wall 14 and a wall 15 welded together and which cooperate with bottom element's, some of which are not shown, to forma fluid tight container or jig cell.v

Elevator compartment 12 is separatedfrom the upper stratifying compartment 10 and lower hutch compartment 11 by vertically aligned generally upright partition members, indicated generally in the drawings by'the numerals 16, that extendtransversely b'etweenthe sidewalls 13. The stratifying compartment 10 is separated'from the hutch compartment 11 by a platform type screen 17 The construction of screen 17 and its associationwith-the upright wall means that cooperate tofor'rn theupright walls of the stratifying compartment'10 are important features of this invention and aredescrib'ed incomplete detail hereinafter.

The bottom of hutch compartment 11 is formed by a plate 18 Welded along its edges to the wall members 13', 14 and 16, and it includes 'a circular opening 19 that is closed in part by a piston or disc 20 mounted upon'the upper end of a piston rod 21. Piston rod 21 and consequently piston 20 are caused to reciprocate upwardly and'downwardly by a reciprocating apparatus, not'shown, of a kind that is common to "this type jigland which is positioned therebelow. A flexible seal ringj22 of rubber, or the like, closes the circular area between the peripheries of piston 20 and opening 19 in bottomplate 18. I

Upward and downward motion of piston 20 "and seal 22 impart pulsating motion to jigging fluid contained within the compartments 10 and 11. It has been found that certain-materials that pass through the screen 17 "into the hutch compartment 11 tend to accumulate thereiniand therefore the entire bottom of hutch co'riiparttiient'll, including plate 18 and piston 20, is sloped downwardly toward the elevator compartment 12 and anfoperiin'g 23 in the partition 16 throughwhich material flows ffo'm the hutch. compartment 11 to enter the elevator compartment 12.

' In. order to maintain the correct quantity of jigging fluid in the jig and to aid the flo'w ofm'aterialovei" thfe sloped bottom of hutch compar'tment11, fresh water is introduced into the hutch compartment ll thr'ough four pipes 24 that extend transversely of the hutch compartment-11 and between the side walls 13. Water. is dis} charged from pipes 24 through a plurality of openings. 25 positioned to direct the flow of water downwardly toward the sloping, bottom of hutch compartment 11 and'toward the dischargeopening 23 to aid material in hutch compartment 11 in moving from the hutchcompartment. A check valve mechanism 26 of the kind described in Patent No. 2,573,503, dated October 30, 1951, to W. J. Smith, is associated with the dischargeopening 23 for preventing the flow of jigging fluid from the elevator compartment 12 to the hutch compartment 11.

Screen 17 forms the bottom of the stratifying compaitmerit 10 and it is mounted at one side to pivot abouta supportingv rod or bar 27 which extends generallyhor'izontally between the walls 13. The side of screen 17 opposite rod or bar 27 is carried by a pair of adjustable hanger'assemblies 28 by which the slope of the screen 17 toward a discharge opening 29 for material of high specific gravity maybe adjusted. n v

A star wheel type ejector mechanism 30 associated With't-he discharge opening 29 controls the rateor dischargeof material having a high specific gravity from the stratifying compartmentlo. Ejector mechanism 30 is housed within the elevator compartment 12, and material discharged by it fallsto the bottom thereof where it and any material that entered the compartment 12-through the opening 23 and valve '26 are discharged from the jig by an elevator-,not shown. I v

The efle'ctive-size of discharge opening 29 may be adjustedb'y a gate 31 that may be adjusted vertically. Sitnated above the'high gravity material discharge open.- ing 29 there is a weir 32 over which-material having. a low specific gravity flows from the stratifying compartment 10 and'th'r'ough a discharge chute- 33'to be'discharged from the .ji'g.

In. the operation of the above described jig the piston 20 oneach up stroke causes jiggingfluid to be displaced frorn the hutch compartment 11 through screen 17-and into the stratifying compartment 10 and' on each downstroke' of thepiston jigging .fluidflows from. the stratify in g compartment 10 through screen 17 and into the hutch compartment 11. Material to be separated is fed into the stratifiyin'g compartment 10* through a feed chute -34, and in passing through compartment 10 it is stratified by the pulsating jigging fluid into a lower stratum of material a relatively high specific gravity adjacent the top of screen 17 and a stratum of material having a relatively low specific gravity above the stratum of high gravity material. The material of low specific gravity passes averweir 32 and through chute 33, and the material of high gravity passes through the discharge opening 1, ejwtor mechanism 30, into the elevator compartment l2'from which it is removed from the jig as by the previously mentioned elevator.

Ithas been found in prior art jigs, wherein material is stratifled above a screen by upward or pulsion strokes and, downward or suction strokes of jigging fluid through the screen, that there occurs a circulation of material being straflfied along any upright wall in the separating stratifying compartment above the screen and that this [occurs in a vertical plane so that the particles Medqwnwardly close to the wall and upwardly over the bed of materials being separated in a sort of motion, for instance, those particles within apone inch of the wall move downward, then turn and move upward at a distance which may be, for example, three to four inches from the wall. Obviously this is highly undesirable in that it in part destroys the Stratification that has occurred in the material.

Thereason for this circulatory motion of materials fldifleefltthe upright walls of the stratifying compartment is probably that an upright wall in the bed of materials provides a path of low resistance for the downward currents of jigging fluid along the surface of the Walls. For that reason the jigging fluid next to the wall travels more rnpidlythsfnin the major portion of the bed of materials Where it must follow a tortuous path through the interstitinl openings between the particles forming the bed. As a result of the rapid motion of the downward currents nut. to the wall, the particles of material are jammed pnrticleslegs on every upward or pulsion stroke and moves more rapidly on the downward or suction stroke, and .then away from the wall and into the main body of V the b'edofinaterials.

It hss been found that if the strong downward currents of jigging fluid adjacent the upright side walls of the separating or stratifying compartment are reduced the. above described objectionable circulation of materials adjacent the walls will be alleviated. One of the main advantages of the structure herein claimed is that to reduce the above described objectionable eifl'rents of jigging fluid adjacent the side walls of the compartment and instead provides desirable currents of jigging fluid adjacent them.

In prior jigs of the type herein referred to it has been necessary, in order to support properly the screen 17, its edges adjacent the walls of the container in" such manner that the screen adjacent the walls was blind, that is, that the screen adjacent the walls contained no perforations or openings through which jigging fluid could pulsate adjacent the upright side walls of the stratifying compartment. The construction of the screen shown in the drawings is such that the screen cooperates side walls of the jig to provide the lliilve'mentioned desirable currents of jigging fluid adjacentsaid separating compartment walls.

Screen '17 is herein described as being of a platform It has a lower support or frame assembly that three generally upright walls or plates 35 and a hanger wall 36 in the form of an angle, the upper generally horizontal leg of which rests directly upon the support bar 27, and the upright leg of which carries lugs 37 that-engage the under side of bar 27. Walls 35 and 36 lreimereonnected by support elements 38 in such manner that the entire lower support or frame assembly resembles an egg-crate separator. The generally upright wall elements 35 are perforated and they cooperate with a generally horizontal perforated plate 39 secured to the top of the screen frame to form the entire screen surface of the platform screen 17. From the foregoing it is apparent that the platform screen includes a generally flat top and three upright side portions, all of which are screen elements through which jigging fluid may flow.

The side screen portions or Walls 35 are adjacent but slightly spaced from the walls 13 and 14 that cooperate with the screen 17 to form the stratifying compartment 10. Adjacent the bottoms of screen walls 35 there is interposed between them and walls 13 and 14 seal means in the form of compressible tubes 40 of rubber, or the like, that are secured to the upright screen walls 35 by bolts 41.

Between the tops of seal tubes 41 and the tops of upright screen side elements 35 the elements 35 are perforated to form a plurality of openings 42 through which jigging fluid may pulsate through the space 43 and vertically immediately adjacent the walls 13 and 14. It is this feature of the construction herein described that eliminates the undesirable currents of jigging fluid adjacent the walls 13 and 14 and substitutes desirable currents for them as above described.

The openings 42 are preferably of a diameter greater than the width of the spaces 43, that is, the diameter of each opening 42 is greater than the distance between the walls 13 or 14 and the adjacent upright side screen elements 35, in order that the openings 42 will not blind, that is, so that no particle of material large enough to stop or plug an opening 42 can enter the space 43. A pair of wedges 44 inserted between the wall 14 and the adjacent side or edge of screen 17 assist in holding the screen 17 against vibration or motion due to pulsations of the jigging fluid.

It will be seen that during the operation of the jig, jigging fluid will pulsate through the screen 17 and that a portion of the jigging fluid will be caused to pulsate through the upright side portions 35 of screen 17 and to flow toward the walls 13 and 14 and upwardly and downwardly therealong from the pocket formed by the wall elements 13 and 14, wall elements 35 and seals 40, and that these currents will counteract the undesirable downward currents of material and liquid immediately adjacent the walls 13 or 14.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended, and applicant therefore wishes not to be restricted to the precise construction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A jig including generally upright wall means cooperating to form a jig cell adapted to contain jigging fluid, screen means separating said cell into an upper compartment in which materials to be separated are Stratified and a lower hutch compartment, means for causing said jig ging fluid to pulsate through said screen means, said screen means being spaced at its sides from said jig cell wall means, generally upright perforate wall means below said spaced screen means adjacent the sides thereof and spaced from said jig cell wall means, and compressible closure means interposed between said jig cell wall means and said perforate wall means and spaced below the top of the latter whereby some of said pulsating jigging fluid is caused to flow between said perforate wall means and said jig cell wall means and closely adjacent the latter.

2. A jig including generally upright cell Wall means cooperating to form a jig cell adapted to contain jigging fluid, screen means separating said cell into an upper compartment in which materials to be separated are stratified and a lower hutch compartment, means for causing said jigging fluid to pulsate through said screen means, generally upright wall means below said screen slightly spaced from and adjacent said upright jig cell wall means, closure means between said jig cell wall means and said wall means below said screen means, said upright wall means providing communication between the lower hutch compartment and the upper compartment, and means for causing said pulsating jigging fluid to flow between said wall means and said jig cell wall means above said closure means and closely adjacent said jig cell wall means.

3. A jig including means forming a container including upright wall means, a platform type screen including upright side screen portions slightly spaced from and adjacent said upright wall means, said screen and wall means cooperating in defining a material stratifying compartment, means forming a hutch compartment extending below said material stratifying compartment, and means for causing jigging fluid contained in the jig to pulsate through said screen with a portion of the fluid pulsating through the side screen portions between said stratifying compartment wall means and said upright screen portions.

' 4-. A jig including means forming a container including upright wall means, a platform type screen including upright side screen portions slightly spaced from and adjacent said upright wall means, said screen and wall means cooperating in defining a material stratifying compartment, means forming a hutch compartment extending below said material stratifying compartment, and means for causing jigging fluid contained in the jig to pulsate through said screen and causing a portion of said fluid to pulsate through said upright screen portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,039,613 Storsand May 5, 1936 2,129,795 Storsand Sept. 13, 1938 2,312,522 Chisholm Mar. 2, 1943 2,612,996 Patterson Oct. 7, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 68,965 Austria June 10, 1915 

